The study of white-spotting mouse mutations, which create distinct pigment patterns by affecting the maturation and survival of the neural crest-derived melanoblasts, has helped to elucidate the developmental mechanisms required for lineage determination, migration and proliferation. On p. 4665, Rao et al. reveal that Adamts20, a novel member of the ADAMTS family of secreted metalloproteinases, is mutated in belted (bt) mutant mice. These mutants are normally pigmented apart from a 'white belt' of hair that occurs near their hindlimbs. The researchers show that Adamts20 is not expressed by the neural crest-derived melanoblasts but by the mesenchymal tissue through which these cells migrate. The extensive homology between Adamts20 and GON-1, an ADAMTS family member protease that is required for distal tip cell migration in C. elegans, indicates that the role of secreted metalloproteinases in cell migration has been conserved during evolution.
Why some mice have white belts
Why some mice have white belts. Development 1 October 2003; 130 (19): e1905. doi:
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